Blue 'Devils'

April 23, 2001

harmless mascot

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to the letter by Mr. Weber in the April 14 edition of the Herald Times. As a graduate of Gaylord High School (GHS) Class of 1996, and a former Blue Devil, I found his comments to be highly offensive.

The sarcastic attitude and opinion of Mr. Weber has several faults that I would like to make clear. But before I begin, I would like to establish a few facts.

First: The term "devil" was, and still is, used by a variety of different cultures and religions worldwide, and has been recorded "Before Christ (B.C.)."

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Second: Gaylord is home to many different religions besides Christianity, and Mr. Weber's plea for change is presumptuous to assume otherwise.

Third: Webster's dictionary defines "devil" as &demon; a being of supreme evil." It makes no mention of "Satan." As this dictionary is the standard dictionary of Gaylord Community Schools, its definition supersedes Mr. Weber's personal and entirely religious interpretation.

Those points established, I would now like to respond to the letter in question.

First: On the matter of "anti-Christians forcing their beliefs on us constantly," Mr. Weber is again presumptuous to assume every citizen of Gaylord is Christian, which, again, is not so. He couches this comment in a letter that demands that Christians force their views on the schools. Is this not the definition of a "spiritual hypocrite?"

Second: Mr. Weber cannot blame the entertainment industry for what he perceives as the spiritual failings of society. The entertainment industry is just that: entertainment. It is an industry dedicated to amusing us, and helping us have fun. Rock music, literature and movies only threaten Christian ideals if the individual allows them to. His accusations of occult instruction and promotion are unfounded and unfair.

Third: A school mascot is nothing more than a symbol to excite fans and intimidate rivals. It is not an icon for the students to "aspire to." As far as high school competition goes, the family, friends and fans are there to support the competitors themselves, not the mascot.

To sum it up, Mr. Weber, you have made numerous sarcastic, unfounded, and presumptuous allegations against a number of institutions, including Gaylord High School. And each of your accusations is based on your personal interpretation of the Christian religion.

I would simply like to say this: As you yourself have noted, you cannot bring Christianity into public schools. You, therefore, cannot deny a public school its mascot on the grounds of Christianity.

I would like to remind you that no one is forcing you, or anyone else, to listen to rock music, read Harry Potter books, or watch Star Wars movies.

If your faith is so questionable that you feel intimidated by a mere mascot, why go to church this weekend?